


A New Vice

by Sykorra (Deliriaella)



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-16 13:00:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5829919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Deliriaella/pseuds/Sykorra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A drunk Kakashi goes shopping and runs into a physically and mentally exhausted Sakura. Things quickly take a turn neither anticipated, though it doesn't seem that either minds it very much.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone. I know this isn't _Rebirth_ , but I needed to do something a little light-hearted for a bit. I'm intending on making this a very short story - just a two or three shot KakaSaku fic. Hope you will enjoy the change of pace like I will!  
> Slight canon change: Tsunade stays on as Hokage for a bit longer after the war, and Kakashi managed to recover Obito's sharingan. Or, he just never had it stolen. Up to you, it doesn't affect this story. The point is that he still has it... because I find it sexy.

Kakashi awoke with a start, grabbing the kunai by his bedside and holding it at the ready as he breathed in harshly. It had been years since he had a nightmare about Obito, but he had just been unfortunate enough to have another. He cursed as he realized what had torn him from his sheets. After placing the kunai back on his bedside table, he swung his legs over the side of his mattress and cradled his head in his hands. His sharingan always burned after such unhappy dreams - a physical reminder of his guilt. The pain would subside in a few hours, but it was already guaranteed that his day would be dour.

With a sigh, Kakashi forced his body to stand upright. He pushed his palm into his left eye as he entered the bathroom, intent on a long and cold shower. The chilly water was biting, but it served to shock his system into awareness. It also helped that it thoroughly distracted him from remembering his reoccurring nightmare. He’d dwelt on that hell for so long, he was eager to push it behind him for another day. At least until he got to the memorial stone. The blame he held himself accountable for felt different when he was conscious of it; it was always the worst when it was thrust upon him in the dead of sleep.

Twenty shivering minutes later, he stepped from the shower and wrapped a brown towel around his trim waist. A brown that was the same shade as Rin’s eyes…

Kakashi frowned upon that realization, and resolved to buy some new towels later in the day. It was likely that his mind just made the connection because the return of the nightmare meant he was thinking more about his old team, but he didn’t want to dwell on it any longer than necessary. And if that meant new towels, then so be it.

He made his way back into the single room that was his studio apartment and started a pot of coffee. Kakashi had a few vices, and a dose of caffeine was always a welcome start to his day when he could get it. He placed the coffee beans back into the cupboard when he spied an unopened bottle of spiced rum. After staring at it with his one good eye for a full minute, he finally reached for the bottle and placed it next to the coffee maker.

Well, it looked like he would be mixing two of his three vices into one today. He snorted to himself. If there was any day to start drinking at eleven in the morning, this might as well be the one. The silver-haired man didn’t normally sleep in so late, but he’d found himself coming home from a grueling mission a scant few hours ago. He thought it a small blessing that he’d even been able to get the five hours of sleep he had, considering he typically woke up no later than seven in the morning when he had no work. Not by choice, of course. He blamed the years of routine being in ANBU.

Kakashi reached for a mug, hesitating a moment when he realized its color – brown again. He brushed past the offending ceramic for a garish yellow one further back. At least all yellow could remind him of at the moment was Naruto, which was far preferable to where else his mind was wandering.

He poured his first steaming cup of coffee and followed it up with a sizable amount of rum, relishing in the sting of his throat as he took a sip. Perfect.

Placing his beverage on the coffee table beside his small couch, Kakashi opened his first and only orange-bound love to a random page. He settled himself down on his beaten furniture and began reading, content to waste away most of his free day alone and naked with caffeine, alcohol, and smut. All three vices together sounded like a lovely idea.

* * *

 

Sakura pushed open the hospital doors and nearly moaned with pleasure when a cool evening wind whipped its way across her sweaty body. It had been an exhausting shift. All she wanted to do was go home and take a long, hot bath.  Her almost-moan turned into an actual groan as she remembered that she had no clean towels or clothes left. Her apartment’s washer and dryer had been down for maintenance this last week, and she hadn’t the time to bring them to a laundromat. Too many sixteen hour shifts, not enough willpower.

Thankfully she had the next few days off – by order of the Hokage – but the idea of doing her laundry _now_ made her sneer. She’d leave it for tomorrow’s Sakura to deal with. She decided to buy a new towel and outfit instead, eager to wash the dirt from her body before succumbing to blissful sleep. It was barely seven in the evening and Sakura felt like an old biddy admitting it, but she desired little else at the moment.

She walked to the store deep in thought. The pink-haired young woman had been throwing herself into her work lately, even more so than usual. She could lie to herself and say she just enjoyed the hospital that much, but she knew that wasn’t the case. While hospital work was extremely rewarding in its own way, it just wasn’t the reason why she was working such crazy hours. No, the reason was much different.

Sasuke. It had been almost two years since the end of the fourth great ninja war, and thus almost two years since she had last seen or heard from the Uchiha. The anniversary of the wars end was coming up soon – two days to be exact. It was during this time last year that she had fought a bought of depression so bad that she barely left the house as she pined for Sasuke yet again. She had prepared herself for the same emotions this year, and… they never came.

It scared her more than anything.

To distract herself from what that might mean, Sakura worked as many double shifts at the hospital as her shishou would allow. Say what you will about Tsunade’s gambling and drinking habits, but the woman was no fool. The Hokage was well aware how poorly Sakura had handled herself this time last year, and therefore willingly allowed Sakura to work her body into the ground thinking that it would be better than sulking. Up until a point, anyway. And it seemed that two weeks of double shifts was just about all that Tsunade was willing to give her. And now Sakura had nothing to occupy her thoughts. Thankfully she was too tired to contemplate things too much at this moment. She was worried about the next few days, though.

Sakura pushed open the doors to the shop and walked back to where the towels were, pausing when she saw a familiar shock of silver hair. Kakashi stood in front of the towels, one hand under his chin and the other arm under his elbow, as if choosing a towel required great consideration. As she neared, Sakura supposed that ‘standing’ was perhaps a bit generous. Her ex-sensei was swaying back and forth, looking like he was having an awfully difficult time finding his balance.

Worried and angry that he might be injured from his last mission and was forgoing a hospital visit yet again, Sakura approached him quickly. He swiveled his body around at the sound of her footsteps, stumbling backwards as the exaggerated motion caused him to lose his center of gravity. She rushed to him, grabbing him by the waist and helping him upright. Part of her noted how oddly warm he was, and how _good_ it felt to have his muscled chest resting against hers. She quickly stuffed those thoughts into the far recesses of her mind.

“Saaaaaaaakuraaaaaaaaaaaaa! I’m soooooo glad you’re here!” he exclaimed with a following hiccup, visible eye crinkling upwards as he gave her a gleeful smile that she could tell was lopsided even through his mask. His cheeks were flushed and his breath reeked of alcohol.

Ah, no injury. He was just obscenely drunk.

A pink brow arched at him in disbelief. Though she was sure he drank on occasion, she had never seen her old sensei inebriated. She wondered briefly how irresponsible it would be of her to take this rare opportunity to observe the more vulnerable side of her mysterious old teacher.

“Kakashi-sensei, you’re drunk.”

The silver-haired man giggled – actually GIGGLED at her.

“Me? Nooo, I’m not-“ _hic_ “I’m nooot drunk. Just happy.”

Sakura rolled her emerald orbs at him and reluctantly released her hold on his waist, taking a short step back in case he’d need her support once more. He wobbled a little before managing to stand mostly still, though he had started swaying again.

“I need new towels,” he said as matter-of-fact as he could.

She snorted at him.

“That’s why you’re standing in front of them? Never would have guessed. Mystery solved,” she teased lightly.

Kakashi’s brows knitted together, and he gave her a pout. She was taken aback yet again; a drunk Kakashi was much more open with his facial expressions than she would ever have guessed.

“Thas not nice, Sakura-chaaaan. I need your help picking.”

She flashed him a warm smile before turning her attention to the towels in front of her, completely missing the conflicted look he gave her when she did. She reached for one at random and plucked it from the rack before turning to hand it to him. He nearly took it from her, but recoiled quickly as if burned once he saw it.

“Noooo, thas brown. Brown’s bad,” he slurred.

Sakura arched an eyebrow at his statement, but said nothing about it. She placed the towel back and made a mental note to ask him when he was sober why a brown towel was such a bad thing. She thought it a fairly neutral color for such an aloof man.

“Oookay,” she said as she faced him. “Any other colors you _don’t_ want, sensei?”

Said man tapped a finger on his chin as he thought before shrugging and looking at her. His stare became intense quickly, his one good eye roving slowly up and down her body. Sakura felt the warmth of a blush rise to her cheeks. The silence grew heavy as neither one spoke, until Kakashi shook his head to clear his trance.

“Pink… And no ‘sensei,’” he mumbled finally.

Sakura sighed for dramatic effect, but reached for another towel. She took one for herself, and handed him the other. This one was a light green, and she smiled happily at him when he made no objections to it. He returned her smile after a slight hesitation, and Sakura felt her stomach tighten. He was an adorable drunk.

The pink-haired woman blinked rapidly the moment the thought occurred to her. Kakashi was an _adorable drunk_? Where the hell had that come from?

He gave her no time to ponder the thought’s origin as he leaned over to pull her into an embrace. She stood stiff as a board while he nuzzled his face into her hair, wondering what the hell he was doing now. She was just about to push him off her when she felt and heard him inhale deeply. Was he _sniffing_ her?!

“Mmm… you smell good, Sakura.”

She was likely to shatter if she tensed up any more than she already was. Her stomach was fluttering now, and the sensation made Sakura more curious than it should have. She hadn’t felt anything like it in years. Guilt threatened to flood her system as she realized she hadn’t felt this way since...

She pushed Kakashi away quickly. Normally the motion would have been fine, but Kakashi was not in a normal state of mind. He stumbled backwards and landed harshly on his ass, looking up at her dazed and mildly confused. She regretted her reaction instantly.

“Owww. Wha was tha for?”

Sakura grimaced and helped him up, wrapping one arm around his waist and letting him support some of his weight on her.

“Sorry… I didn’t mean to.”

Kakashi tilted his head down at her, obviously pouting.

“Tha really hurt, Sakura. I think you broke my tail…”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at him fondly.

“Don’t you mean tail _bone_?”

He nodded.

“Yeah, tha one.”

She couldn’t deny it any more. He was a _very_ cute drunk.

Sakura led them both to the cashier and paid for his towel by way of apology, and he continued to lean on her as they exited the shop. She tried to help him upright and unravel herself from him once they were outside, but he refused to let her go.

“Need help home,” he explained at her inquiring expression.

She grumbled a little at his admission, disappointed at being delayed from her bath, but started off in the direction of his apartment anyway. Normally she would have pushed him off and made him go home alone, but she couldn’t bring herself to do that this time. Whether it was guilt at pushing him or her perverse interest in seeing a new side of Kakashi that helped her make her decision without argument, she couldn’t say.

They walked in comfortable silence. Sakura found herself enjoying Kakashi’s warmth and the hardness of his body more than once. She tried valiantly to think of something else every time she realized what she was doing, but the traitorous thoughts never stayed restrained for long. Even reminding herself that this was her genin team _sensei_ did nothing to ban them away; the taboo was intriguing, if anything. She cursed inwardly as she came to the conclusion that she was actually attracted to Kakashi. He’d never think of her like that. _Of course,_ she always had to want the emotionally unavailable males.

* * *

They stopped in front of his bright red apartment door a few minutes later, and Kakashi fumbled around in his pockets for the key. He missed the lock a few times, and was about to try again when Sakura grew frustrated and pulled the keys from his hand to do it herself. He thought he heard her grumbling. Something about _‘stupid drunk hot men_.’

Hot? He eyed her curiously, but smartly decided to keep his mouth shut. He must be imagining things. He knew she would never say that about him; he only _wanted_ her to think of him that way. He'd come to a strange realization while they shopped, one that a sober Kakashi would have denied far more readily than a drunk one. Sakura was a fully grown and extremely attractive woman now. He always knew she had a quick mind, sharp tongue, and an even sharper temper, but it was clear that her body had finally caught up to everything else. Overall, she was the exact kind of woman he always found himself drawn towards.

Kakashi stepped through the open door, frowning when he felt her release her grasp on him. He’d really enjoyed having her so close. If he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine her body was pressed into him in much different circumstances – naked and writhing.

It might have been inappropriate to think such things of an old student, but he was too sloshed to give a damn. There had to be a way to get that back.

“Sorry again,” she stated, clearly intent on leaving him alone in his apartment. He knitted his brow at her in confusion. “For pushing you…” she clarified.

Ah ha! That was it. He almost grinned, managing at the last second to pull his face into a pout instead.

“Fix it.”

Now it was Sakura’s turn to look confused.

“I said I think you broke it, ‘member?”

Sakura pursed her lips together. Kakashi couldn’t help but stare at them as she did it, thinking of all the things she could do with that mouth. Still, she didn’t look convinced. He needed to try harder if he wanted her to stay longer.

“Pleeeease?” he asked, giving her his best puppy-dog eye.

A strange look crossed her face and disappeared before he had a chance to determine what it might be. She sighed, but nodded her head.

“Fine fine, let’s get this over with.”

He grinned at her widely, and he could have sworn he saw her blush. She pushed past him and into the apartment before he could really tell though, and he clutched the door tightly as he nearly fell down again. Maybe drinking the whole bottle of rum, and then going out for more rum, had been a bad idea.

Meh, oh well.

Kakashi shut the door and then meandered over to his bed before falling down on it face first. She giggled at him, and he found he loved the sound of it. He reached for the waistband of his pants and began to tug them down.

“Kakashi-sensei! What are you-“

Sakura stopped speaking right as he managed to pull his pants down and over his behind, his firm globes now fully exposed to the chilly night air.

Oops… maybe he’d pulled them down too far. Kakashi chanced a look at her, oddly joyous as he found her eyes glued to his posterior. He grinned to himself as he watched the flush on her cheeks deepen. She still hadn’t looked away yet. Perhaps she wasn’t as immune to him as he first thought.

He wiggled his butt a little bit, delighting in how the motion caused her eyes to widen even more.

Sakura gulped, but inched closer to him regardless. She held her hands out and they began to glow green as she prepared to heal his tailbone. He bit back a groan as he felt her fingers brush lightly over the top of his ass, hoping that she hadn’t noticed.

It had clearly been in vain, of course, as he felt her pause for a brief second before resuming. She pressed her hands into his tailbone and he sensed her chakra seep into his lower back. Being healed by a medic-nin was akin to an invasion of privacy when anyone else did it, yet Sakura’s chakra was always warm and cozy. He sighed with satisfaction as she probed the area around his spine, looking for any possible break or bruise.

Sakura removed her hands from his backside, and Kakashi felt a pang of disappointment. He had greatly enjoyed her small hands on his bare skin - it ended far too fast. He’d been secretly hoping for more. Just as he was about to pull his pants back up, her hands encircled his ass and squeezed. Once. Twice.

She was feeling him up!

With the alcohol lowering his inhibitions, Kakashi grew bold as she groped him. He growled low in his throat before he flipped himself over and grabbed her. He threw her to the bed and pinned her beneath him, straddling her hips. He quickly pulled his mask down and attacked her mouth like a man starved.

Half of him expected her to push him off and storm out of the door, but she didn’t. No, it seemed she was feeling this attraction just as much as he was. She kissed him back and threaded her hands in his hair, pulling his face closer to her own. She parted her lips in a gasp as he pushed his hips down against hers, and he took the opportunity to caress her tongue with his. She tasted sweet, and he thought vaguely that he may never get enough of the flavor. He pressed his hips down again and ground himself against her core, letting her feel exactly how excited she was making him.

Sakura moaned against his mouth and wrapped her legs around his waist as she pushed back eagerly. This was quickly becoming a new addiction for him. He broke the kiss, ignoring her mewls of disappointment. Kakashi latched his mouth onto her earlobe and sucked gently, loving how it made her shiver and squirm against him. He pressed soft kisses across her cheekbone, continuing down her jaw, then her neck, pausing a moment to lick the hollow spot of her collarbone. She gasped again and arched her back into him.

Kakashi was starting to grow dizzy. He pushed onwards, thinking that it was merely from his near painful state of arousal. He moved his mouth ever downwards, grunting in satisfaction as she unzipped her red vest and let it fall to the side to reveal the white bindings underneath. He hastily ripped them apart, enjoying her squeak of shock as he did. He stopped a moment to absorb the sight before him. Sakura lay with her rosy locks spread out around her head, her cheeks and chest flushed in a muted shade of pink. Her breasts were pert and perky, and he couldn’t wait to taste them. He cupped one in his hand and kneaded a taut nipple before leaning down and kissing her yet again. His head was swimming.

“God, Sakura,” he moaned through his dizziness, “you’re gorgeous.”

She bit her lip nervously as he pulled away again, and Kakashi couldn’t help but stare. He blinked heavily as the lightheadedness returned in full force. He tried to shake it out of his head, then leaned his mouth down to suck on her other neglected breast.

The last thing he thought before the world went black was how amazing she sounded when she moaned.

* * *

Sakura was breathing heavily, her chest supporting the weight of Kakashi’s head. Well, not just her chest, but her whole body. She glanced at him when she felt him fall on top of her, and gave an annoyed groan as she realized he’d passed out.

It fucking figured.

This was all her fault. She had let her judgment lapse for just a few short squeezes of his delicious ass, and now she was stuck feeling incredibly turned on and utterly unfulfilled. She growled and pushed him off of her, rolling him onto his back somewhat gently. She chanced a look at his exposed manhood and blushed furiously. He was very well endowed, and Sakura couldn’t help but feel disappointed that he had been too drunk to remain conscious. Certainly if he was, they would be having a much more enjoyable time right now.

Though, maybe not. Sakura didn’t think that Kakashi would ever tackle her quite like he had if he was completely sober. In fact, she didn’t think he had even entertained any sexual thoughts of her at all. Clearly she had been mistaken.

With a frustrated sigh, Sakura sat up from the bed and zipped up her vest, leaving her ruined bindings on the sheets. She turned to the man next to her and looked at his unmasked face. She’d always wanted to see what he looked like, but never thought this would be how. He was undeniably handsome. The mole below his mouth added charm to his perfectly angled face, and Sakura found herself reaching out to stroke his slightly stubbled jawline before she knew what she was doing.

God damn it, why did things have to stop just when they were getting good?

She leaned over Kakashi’s prone body and pulled his pants back up around his hips, letting her fingers graze over his erection as she did. He moaned in his sleep, and she bit her lip roughly as she the sound aroused her further. She was sure that once he was sober, Kakashi would feel completely mortified, probably never coming nearer to her than necessary ever again. Sakura imprinted this moment in her mind so she could come back to it whenever she felt the urge.

She stood from his bed, her eyes falling across her bindings next to him. She smirked to herself. Let him find them in the morning, just in case he woke up with no memory of the night before. Maybe it would remind him, and he’d be so eager to bed her that he’d seek her out. It was unlikely, but Sakura wanted it – badly. She, at the very least, wanted him to remember.

With that determined, Sakura left Kakashi’s studio apartment. The clothing shops would be closing soon, and if she was quick she would have just enough time to purchase herself a new outfit for tomorrow. She grinned, resolving to buy something somewhat eye-catching on the off chance that he wanted to find her for round two.

Yet, even through her arousal and desire, Sakura was nervous. Everything had happened so fast. She felt guilty for being able to cast aside her years of feelings for another man in a moment of lust, even if that man had been absent for so long. And she felt slightly reprehensible for being so eager to seduce her ex-sensei.

Oh well. Just like the laundry, that would be a problem tomrorow’s Sakura would deal with.

Feeling emboldened, Sakura marched off in search of an outfit that might make Kakashi’s jaw drop.


	2. Chapter 2

All Kakashi could feel was pain. His head was pounding, his mouth was dry, and his body ached like he'd gone ten rounds with a tailed beast. He opened his right eye, wincing as the bright sunlight shone from his window directly onto it. Why hadn't he shut the curtain last night like he usually did? He pushed himself up slowly, fighting the protest of his muscles. He squinted in the direction of his clock, surprised to find it was already one in the afternoon. He'd never slept this late in his life. Kakashi sat still as he tried to remember what he had done the day before.

The last thing he could recall was waking up, making coffee with rum, and settling down to reread some original Icha Icha. Glancing over at the coffee table, he noticed two completely empty liquor bottles.

Didn't he only have one bottle of rum in his cupboard? No wonder he couldn't remember much of the day before. With an agonized groan, the silver-haired jounin pushed himself onto his unsteady legs, vowing to never get drunk again.

…okay, maybe just not AS drunk.

Deciding to forgo the normal cold shower, Kakashi stepped into the warm stream of water and exhaled with contentment as his muscles relaxed slightly. He tried to call forth the events of yesterday again, and this time he drew a blank somewhere after buying the second bottle and returning to his apartment. He hoped he hadn't done anything terribly stupid. Maybe he had just stayed home all night? After all, he didn't see a new towel in the bathroom when he walked in. That must mean he hadn't bought it like he planned.

Even though he tried to reassure himself, something else was tugging at the back of his mind. It annoyed him that he couldn't figure out what it was.

He shut off the water after rinsing the shampoo from his hair and stepped out of his bathroom, naked and dripping wet. Scanning the room for the brown towel from yesterday, he noticed two folded green ones sitting on the coffee table across from the empty bottles.

Looks like he had gone out after all. The nagging grew stronger.

He picked one up and opened it, wiping down the moisture from his muscled body before running it through his hair. After wrapping it around his waist, he walked into his kitchen to find some pain reliever for his monumental headache. He filled a glass of water and gulped the pills down greedily, following it up with another glass. His hangovers were getting worse with age.

His stomach grumbled loudly as the liquid settled, notifying him that he probably hadn't eaten dinner. Cooking sounded like too much effort, so he decided to go out and purchase his food.

Dragging his feet towards the dresser by his bed, Kakashi finally noticed the white bandages on his sheets. He narrowed his eyes at them in confusion. Had he hurt himself? But then why would he have torn them off?

He changed the direction of his weary limbs and stooped to pick up the white cloth, turning it over in his hands carefully. There was no blood on them, and none of his joints ached like they had been sprained.

The nagging feeling was positively buzzing now.

Something was wrong here.

Tentatively, he pulled the cloth to his face and inhaled.

His mind was flooded with more memories almost instantly. They came in bits and pieces. Green towels, pink hair, emerald eyes, rosy cheeks, honeyed lips, and those subtle curves... The deluge of images stopped abruptly with Sakura under him and trapped between his arms, her hair fanned out around her head. Topless.

Kakashi's head was reeling.

"Oh _shit_."

* * *

_Tap tap._

Sakura grumbled sleepily.

_Tap tap tap._

Her room was hazy. Or was that just her vision? She blinked a few times, trying to clear the fog of sleep from her eyes. Really, she needed to get out in the field more. Staying in Konoha for nearly two whole years was making her feel dull. She shouldn't be this groggy from being woken up what she assumed was just a few hours earlier than normal. That could get you killed on the wrong mission.

So why did she ignore the vast majority of missions to devote herself to her medic side? For the slim chance her childhood crush would be coming back through gates to profess his undying love for her?

Hmph.

_TAP. TAP._

"Oh, great," she mumbled to herself, "they wake _me_ up and _they're_ the ones irritated." She sighed. "I'll be right there!" she yelled this time, loud and obviously aggravated. She glanced at the clock to see it read four in the morning – only two hours before when she'd normally wake up, but still early enough to mourn. And early enough to warrant her upstairs neighbor making another noise complaint at her yelling.

With a sigh, she sat from her bed and pulled a large t-shirt that hung to her knees over her leanly muscled frame, sincerely hoping that the old cat lady upstairs hadn't been disturbed.

"Now you look here, you arrogant little-" she ground out lowly as she opened the door, intending to lay some manners into this person who dared to get impatient with her _;_ she was the one who should be upset sinceit was _her_ fantastic dream that had been interrupted.

Sakura paused her rant as she noticed that she was lacking the expected human audience.

"P-p-pun-puuun…"

Sakura quickly looked down towards the ground, feeling contrite as she took in the cowering form of Tonton.

"Oh crap, Tonton! I'm so sorry dear, I thought…" she trailed off, realizing that the explanation wasn't helping the little pig much. She kneeled down and slowly reached a hand out to pat Tonton on the head reassuringly, feeling a little bit better as the animal didn't shy away from her.

"Sorry, I'm not a morning person," she offered.

Tonton eyed the kunoichi warily for a moment before narrowing her eyes a little and replying with what Sakura assumed was meant to be a scathingly sarcastic remark. As sarcastic as a pig could get, she reckoned. The pink haired woman merely gave a nervous laugh in reply. Clearly Tonton wasn't fond of the early morning either. She noticed a small folded piece of paper tucked under the pig's necklace and removed it.

_Sakura –_

_Something's come up and I won't be around until the afternoon. Could you help Tsunade while I'm gone? I'll cover your shift tomorrow._

_-Shizune_

_P.S. She had a long night out._

Sakura frowned a little. Well, there went her day off. She thanked and said goodbye to Tonton, grateful that it seemed the pig had at least accepted her apology before leaving.

The kunoichi showered leisurely and allowed her mind to wander freely while she stood under the steady spray. She grew frustrated as it chose to linger on her ex-sensei, and their strange last couple of weeks.

Two weeks. For two weeks, Kakashi had been avoiding her like she was a leper. She wanted to strangle him, to say that they could just forget anything ever happened if it made him feel better.

One of the problems with that was she knew she couldn't say that honestly. There was no way she would be able to forget anything about that night. And if she was being truthful, a small part of her still didn't want him to forget either. That was why she had left the bindings, even if she regretted it a little now.

The other problem was that Kakashi was incredibly good at slipping away when she managed to finally find him. At this rate, she'd never get a chance to suggest they move past it, let alone make the effort. The man occupied nearly every waking thought of hers now, despite the fact that she hadn't properly seen him since that night.

Oh she had _seen_ Kakashi, all right. She had seen mere bits of him as he blurred out of sight, that is. The top of his distinct silver locks as they disappeared amidst the crowd. The orange book that hung out of his back pockets as he dashed into an alleyway. His wrapped calves and black sandals as he jumped to a rooftop and bolted away.

She had no idea what to do with him now.

…well, besides jump his bones. But she doubted that would go over well.

Sakura shut off the water and exited the shower, feeling a little more awake than earlier. She dried and dressed quickly, knowing that Tsunade would be expecting her as soon as possible. Sakura was well versed in the woman's propensity to show up hungover and sleep it out on her desk. Shizune's warning was merely a hint that the pinkette would be forced to brave the wrath and drool that came with trying to keep her awake.

Her day wasn't starting out the greatest.

* * *

Tsunade yawned loudly as she scratched a sloppy signature onto the form before her. She wondered vaguely what she was signing, but was distracted as a sharp pain in her head flared up again.

Ah, screw it. Sakura wouldn't hand her anything that she might actually need to think about before approving. Not without telling her, and certainly not on a day like today anyway. This was the kind of day where Tsunade took it easy.

Said pink-haired woman placed a steaming teapot on the desk, followed by two small round and white pills. Tsunade instantly recognized them as pain relievers and grunted a thanks to her apprentice as she swallowed them down.

Today had been a rather easy day for the blonde. She had slept away most of the morning, only waking up to scrawl on the odd paper here and there. It was afternoon now, and Tsunade was finally fully alert. As alert as she could be with such an angry pounding in her head, anyway.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Come in," Tsunade said.

Sakura ignored the visitor, opting to arrange Tsunade's paperwork as the doors swung open. She was intending to give this meeting a minimal amount of attention, assuming that it would be over quickly. Shizune would be back soon, and Sakura had decided to make things as smooth for the woman as she could. However, glancing up to acknowledge the shinobi that entered made her pause in her self-given task.

Kakashi stood in the middle of the room, hands in his pockets as usual. To a stranger, he would look relaxed and almost bored. Unfortunately for him, the women in the room knew him very well. The tensed muscles in his back, and the way his one dark eye refused to look at Sakura gave him away just as well as if he had been shouting at the top of his lungs.

He was entirely uncomfortable, and it was clearly because of Sakura's proximity. She stiffened as well, but managed to return somewhat to her previous paper arrangement. Tsunade raised a light eyebrow at the pair of shinobi in her office, wondering what could have happened to make them so flighty around one another. Whatever it was, the tension that crowded the room was thick.

She found it amusing.

"Hokage-sama. Sakura," Kakashi greeted them. His voice was even and bored sounding, belying none of his discomfort like his posture had.

"Hatake. You're earlier than I expected."

Kakashi gave a noncommittal shrug and remained silent. Tsunade resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Sakura, his mission scroll is on that chair over there. Hand it to him."

The pink-haired woman clenched her jaw, but nodded nonetheless.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Her movements felt mechanical as she strode to the chair under the window, and she hoped she wasn't being as obvious as she felt. If Tsunade sensed anything amiss, there would be no end to the questioning.

She plucked the scroll from the seat of the chair and turned to hand it to Kakashi. His good eye flickered to hers to hold them momentarily, and she felt her stomach flutter again. The unexpected reaction from her own body caused her to nearly miss how he lingered a gaze on her chest for a brief second. He quickly looked down to the scroll and removed it from her hands, careful that their fingers never touched.

Sakura thanked her lucky stars that his covered eye was the only one Tsunade could see from her desk. Maybe her observant master would miss the improper path Kakashi's eye had taken.

She turned to move back to where her papers were and stole a look at Tsunade. Her heart dropped as she noticed the way her master's face was shining with hidden mirth.

 _Crap_.

"Simple mission, Hatake. Sealed scroll trade with Suna at the border. Your contact will be Kankuro."

She looked between Sakura and Kakashi once more.

"I've decided to make a small change. Sakura, you will be going as well."

They both fidgeted slightly where they stood, and Tsunade felt her amusement grow. They made this too simple for her.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama…" Kakashi began. Tsunade locked eyes with him and rested her chin on her interlaced fingers, making it clear he could continue. "A simple scroll exchange does not require two jounin level shinobi. I can do it alone."

She cocked a brow at him yet again.

"Sakura here was just speaking earlier about how much she missed the field. I think a trip to the border and back will be a nice warm-up for any missions she takes in the near future. Besides, it seems Kankuro has been asking about her lately."

 _Double crap_.

Sakura cursed. Had she known she would end up in this situation, she never would have asked Tsunade to place her back as active on the field duty list. Now she had no way to decline without bringing more attention to their odd situation. And she knew that there was no way her master would change her mind anyway.

"You'll be leaving at first light tomorrow.

She had to see this through.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," both she and Kakashi said in unison.

Sakura told herself the apprehension she felt would disappear after they spent some time together again. They could move past it all and just behave like professional adults.

…oh, who was she fooling. Certainly not herself.

This was going to be awkward as hell.

"You're dismissed, Hatake."

He gave a bow just polite enough that Tsunade couldn't complain, but the forced nature of it didn't escape her notice. This entire interaction had been too entertaining. She almost wished she could watch how it continued tomorrow.

Sakura was so lost in her own thoughts that she missed the new look that Kakashi gave her before he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

But Tsunade noticed it. She grinned. It really was a damn shame that she wouldn't be around to see what _that_ was about.

* * *

Sakura angrily slammed her apartment door shut with her foot as she passed through the doorway, imparting everyone in her complex with the knowledge that she was home for the night as the walls and ceiling shook. A bit of drywall cracked above her and she felt the debris sprinkle down onto her head. She grumbled and rubbed the white powder from her hair before heading to the kitchen.

She made little effort to walk quietly through her ground level flat – it was the entire reason she picked the place, after all, having been evicted for noise complaints in civilian complexes before when she was younger. Sakura had mostly outgrown throwing tantrums… in public. At home, she found the freedom to stomp around and scowl at inanimate objects quite cathartic in its own way. She was certain it made her look like a crazy person.

Sakura tried to reign in her temper as she grabbed the handle of her teapot.

_BANG BANG BANG._

The metal beneath her fingers creaked in protest as she squeezed it. 

She frowned as she looked down at it and noticed the indentations she left behind.

Shit. She loved that thing.

She sighed and continued making her tea. She'd worry about the handle later. At least the pot was still functional.

_BANG BANG BANG._

Sakura scowled. She had a feeling she knew who this was.

She walked back to the door and took a look through the peephole to see the shine of silver hair and frowned a little. Of course she would get no reprieve. She relaxed her face a little before opening the door.

It was her upstairs neighbor, the crotchety old cat lady, Sato Naomi.

Most everyone in this particular complex tolerated the occasional slam of a door from Sakura. She was well known in both the shinobi and civilian world by now, having been a major player in the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War. Having such popularity afforded her some liberties, as people tended to be more accommodating with her eccentricities these days. Just like they always had for Tsunade.

But this was Naomi – she was not the easily impressed sort of civilian.

The short old woman with the round face and silver hair frowned up at Sakura, her arthritic hands held on her wide hips. Scrutinizing dark brown eyes narrowed at Sakura almost comically from behind thick lenses.

Sakura immediately gave Naomi a smile. She truly did feel bad about slamming the door. She never _tried_ to make a scene, and she had definitely been better about it lately. But with her current mixture of anger, confusion, and desire… she was surprised that an angry neighbor and a dented teapot handle were the only victims so far.

"Sorry for slamming the door, Sato-san" Sakura said pre-emptively, hoping to quell the fire while it was still small. "It was an accident."

Accident. Sakura scoffed at the half-truth. The slam hadn't been accidental, but she supposed the force of it had.

Naomi continued to glare.

"I don't know what's put a bug up your bonnet, young lady, but either get over it or take it somewhere else. You woke up poor Sophia with your shenanigans."

Naomi turned to the side and started to walk away, but thought better of it and paused to look at Sakura once more.

"And for the love of god, girl, go get laid."

Sakura's jaw dropped at the old woman's bold statement, and she opened and closed her mouth like a gaping fish. The kunoichi was at a loss for words.

A knowing grin crossed Naomi's face. "Sweetheart, I own nearly a dozen cats - I know sexual frustration when I see it."

Sakura's jaw snapped shut this time. Naomi chuckled to herself as she walked away, mumbling something about how 'the younger generation made it too easy.'

She had misjudged this old lady. Naomi was worse than Tsunade.

Sakura shut the door, being careful not to slam it this time. She had the beginnings of a headache now, and all she wanted to do was drink her tea and go to bed.

If only Kakashi would get out of her head and into her shee-

She frowned. Naomi hadn't made her wandering thoughts of Kakashi any tamer; they were more unruly than ever, if anything. Just how was she supposed to pretend that their friendship could be normal when she couldn't stop reliving that night? It followed her during the day, and visited her dreams.

The wall of denial she'd been trying so hard to build up crumbled with the slight breeze of her sigh.

She was so screwed.

"Damn it, Sato-san."

* * *

Kakashi approached the town gates at half past seven. Dawn had risen over an hour and a half ago, and he was sure that Sakura had been waiting for at least an hour of that by now. He'd spent the night previous trying to come up with a plan for how to interact with her on this mission. Eventually he'd decided that the best course of action would be to completely ignore everything and act as though nothing had changed between them, as if they were still just ex-student and ex-teacher.

It sounded immature, but he had no idea what else to do.

He supposed that, besides a few heated kisses and wandering hands, nothing really _had_ changed. He knew they must have stopped before going all the way – his nose was keen, and sex was the first scent he'd checked his sheets for after he discovered Sakura's bindings.

He hadn't been sure then if he was happy or disappointed with the knowledge. He still wasn't sure.

And while that was part of why he had been avoiding her, it wasn't the whole reason.

Kakashi couldn't shake the hunch that leaving behind the bindings had been intentional, and his hunches were rarely wrong. She had been the sober one that night, but he couldn't recall a hint of hesitation in her once he'd thrown her on the bed.

She was sending a message, and he understood it clearly. _Let's pick up where we left off._

Kakashi may be a disciplined man, but even he is not made of stone. If he had to fight off his desires and her advances at the same time, he knew he'd give in to both eventually.

He slipped into his normal eye crinkle as he approached the pink-haired woman by the gates. She was tapping her foot impatiently, ready to beat him senseless before they even began.

"Yo," he intoned casually. The even tone of his voice seemed to agitate her further.

"You're late."

"Am I? Hm, well you see, I ran into this little old cat lady on the way in. One of her cats was stuck in a tree, and-"

"You've used that one before, idiot."

He smiled genuinely at her this time. Maybe things would be easier than he thought.

"Have I?"

She grunted and rolled her eyes.

"You're awful. Let's just go."

He chuckled at her irritation, and the low sound of it caused a tingle to run down her spine.

"You got it, Sakura- _chan_."

She huffed at his sarcastic use of the chan suffix, but turned around and began to walk away regardless. For some reason, she didn't feel nearly as angry with him as she should. She frowned to herself.

This was going to be every bit as difficult as she imagined.

* * *

They had walked in silence most of the day, opting to enjoy a relaxed stroll down the merchant's road instead of a dashing through the trees of the forest. Their only conversation had been light and trivial in nature. There was no rush to their destination. Walking also allowed Kakashi to distract himself with Icha Icha somewhat.

It was still a little difficult to completely ignore Sakura's presence, especially since the wind had been blowing hints of her scent to him all day long. Every time he noticed it, he felt a little like a creep. Really, he wasn't _trying_ to get turned on by her smell. He couldn't help that he had a good nose. Nor could he help that her scent was now permanently linked to an image of her trapped topless beneath him.

With no book to occupy her, Sakura was having a tougher time than her silver-haired companion. She was hyper aware of his every move, though she knew she was doing a pretty good job at appearing casual. At least he didn't seem to notice, anyway.

Thank goodness for minor miracles.

The wind ruffled her hair again, and Kakashi paused to look up at the darkening sky.

"Let's go off the road to make camp," he suggested.

She nodded, and they both changed direction to head into the tree line. They found a suitable clearing a few minutes later, and Sakura dropped her light bag on the dirt. She went the opposite direction from Kakashi in search of branches for the fire they'd be starting soon.

Sakura returned with a large armful of wood just as the last of the evening light dimmed from the sky. She dropped her bundle next to Kakashi's, satisfied that they had retrieved nearly the same amount. The fire wouldn't last more than a few hours, but they only needed it to cook dinner. Their bedrolls would keep them plenty warm while they slept.

Kakashi made the seals for a fireball and blew a tiny flame into a separate pile of wood. The fire grew steadily as the minutes ticked by, until eventually it crackled and flickered warmly. Sakura found peace in it; she always loved watching the fire as it danced.

Kakashi pulled two skewered fish from where he'd stuck them in the ground and moved them closer to the flames, attracting Sakura's attention as he moved into her field of vision. She smiled gratefully at him, and he returned it with a crease of his eye.

Their silence continued, and Sakura found it easier to take while in the orange glow of their campfire. She was surprised she was so relaxed now, considering her earlier nervousness at spending time with her ex-sensei.

"Kaka-"

"Saku-"

They paused upon realizing they'd interrupted the other, and both of them couldn't help but laugh.

"You first," Kakashi said with a smile.

She returned it happily, thankful that he didn't seem completely adverse to talking with her.

"I just wanted to say… about the night a few weeks ago," she began, looking at him carefully to watch his body language. His shoulders tensed slightly, and she was now acutely aware that he had been hoping to avoid this conversation. Or at least have it on his terms.

He nodded to show her that he was listening.

"I just wanted to say, let's forget it ever happened, okay?"

She gave him a falsely cheery smile.

There, she'd said it. It was out there, and she couldn't take it back. She just had to see what his move would be.

And though she was expecting it, she was still disappointed when she saw his shoulders relax. He nodded.

"Yeah. Let's just forget about it," he replied finally, returning her fake smile with one of his own.

It looked as though he was forcing himself to say it, though that could just be her own mind playing tricks on her.

"I wanted to apologize to you for it anyway," he admitted. "I'm sorry about… that. I had far too much to drink that night."

Sakura's gut wrenched. "No problem," she managed to say. Kakashi wasn't giving her outright rejection, but it stung regardless.

He pulled her fish from the fire to hand it to her, and she accepted it with a simple thanks.

They both laid out their bedrolls and settled inside them after they ate, letting the flames dwindle down on their own. They were still well within the borders of the Fire Country, and were thus more concerned with getting a full night of sleep than any wandering bandits. And with the forests of Konoha being known as a familiar haunt of the kyuubi jinchuriki, there weren't many bandits remaining around here now anyway.

"Good night, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said from across the dying firelight.

"Good night, Sakura."

They were asleep less than twenty minutes later, each dreaming of the other.

* * *

"Sakura? I didn't expect to see you here," Kankuro said as he moved closer to the two Leaf shinobi. "I was told it would just be Kakashi."

Sakura smiled warmly at the painted Suna puppeteer.

"Good to see you again, Kankuro."

He returned her smile with a small twitch of his lips.

"You too."

Kankuro had never been overly comfortable with showing positive emotions. Still, he had been intrigued by the pink-haired medic-nin ever since she saved him from Sasori's poison years ago. Hearing about what she'd done while the rest of the world was wrapped up in the Infinite Tsukuyomi had only compounded his interest.

Sakura was just happy that there was another person to distract her from her partner. Despite their agreement last night, Sakura had felt Kakashi's eye linger on her more than once since they woke up. It was starting to make her nervous again and, if she was being honest, excited. She cursed that stupid dream for showing up last night. Things were only more confusing than ever.

But she couldn't afford to act on anything. Kakashi had made a choice to ignore it, just like she had. They'd agreed to move past it.

The scrolls were swapped, and Kakashi waved a goodbye as he began to walk away, expecting Sakura to follow him. He stopped to glance behind him once he noticed he didn't hear her footsteps.

She stood between him and Kankuro, looking conflicted.

"Hey, isn't there a town around here? I could really go for a bath house," she suggested eventually. It wasn't entirely truthful. The journey to Konoha was only one night away, and she had no problem with waiting.

But after Kakashi's acceptance of her offer to forget their heated moment weeks ago, Sakura found herself wanting to spend time with someone she knew found her attractive. Part of her felt selfish and guilty for using Kankuro's interest in her as a boost to her self-esteem, but she stuffed that down. She would ask to spend time with him as a friend and clarify her lack of romantic interest later if it was necessary. Plus, she figured that she had grown to know Gaara and Temari rather well over the years as they liaised with Konoha. It was only about time that she got to know Kankuro as well.

Kakashi tilted his head at her, trying hard to control his annoyance.

"We'll be home tomorrow. Can't you wait until then?"

Sakura grinned at him.

"Sorry, no can do sensei. I'll be headed to the town for the night. A bed and bath sound wonderful. But feel free to show up and report to the Hokage without me," she said with a playful wink. She was not going to let him ruin this for her.

Kakashi resisted the urge to scowl at her. All he wanted was to get home, where he could go back to hiding in plain sight.

"Fine," he said without further argument. His quick agreement surprised Sakura. She had been anticipating he'd fight it more. He probably would have, actually, if he hadn't still been feeling extra cautious around her. He turned around to leave again, this time in the direction of the town Sakura was talking about.

One extra night wouldn't hurt, he told himself.

"Wanna join us, Kankuro?"

Kakashi whipped his head around to look at the two behind him as he heard Sakura invite the Suna nin along. Well, he certainly hadn't been anticipating that.

Kankuro looked just as shocked as Kakashi felt.

"I- uh- I should probably just head back to Suna. I'm expected home tomorrow," he finally managed to respond.

"Oh, nonsense!" Sakura shouted as she threw an arm around the painted ninja's shoulders. "Just tell them you spent some time with me. They'll understand."

Kankuro still didn't look convinced.

"Come on! I'll treat us to a few rounds at the bar," she offered one last time.

He furrowed his brow for a moment before finally sighing and shaking his head. This woman confused him.

"Sure. Why not?"

Kankuro and Sakura moved ahead of Kakashi as the three made their way to the town. She was talking animatedly about some new research she was involved in. The puppeteer asked casual questions occasionally, trying his best to appear invested in the topic at hand. Kakashi could tell that Kankuro cared less about the answers, and more about seeing Sakura's face light up with happiness as she talked about her favorite subject.

Kakashi had been guilty of using such a tactic on more than one woman in his life.

It bothered him slightly, but he kept his mouth shut. It was none of his business who courted Sakura, just as it was none of his business if she accepted their advances.

Besides, Sakura would never be interested in Kankuro. The Kazekage's brother wasn't her type.

 _He's not. You are, though,_ Kakashi's mind shouted back at him.

He frowned as Sakura turned her head and flashed him a tentative smile.

Just what exactly was she playing at?

* * *

"Ah!" Sakura exclaimed as she stretched her arms over her head. "That was just what I needed!"

"Yes. The trip out here was exhausting," Kakashi supplied sarcastically.

The pink-haired kunoichi stuck a tongue out at her ex-sensei. She was feeling much more relaxed around him now, thankful for both the chat she'd had with Kankuro and the warm water she enjoyed afterwards. She had been aware that Kankuro had little interest in the subject of conversation, but she still appreciated that he'd made an effort to continue it. And the fact that he'd managed to pick up and understand some of her medical jargon had been impressive. She definitely enjoyed his company just as much as she did his siblings.

"Time to drink!"

Kakashi grimaced. He wasn't eager to join them at the bar, but he found himself headed there anyway. As irrational as it was, he loathed the idea of the two young ninja spending any time alone together.

They sat down at a table after ordering their drinks. Kakashi had intended on just getting water, but buckled under Sakura's insistence that he have something a bit stronger. He sat brooding with his jug of sake, vowing to keep himself mostly sober for the evening. Thankfully, Sakura mistook his ill mood as his desire to be headed back to Konoha. He made no moves to correct her, deciding it was better to let her believe that rather than the alternative. Hell, Kakashi could barely admit the alternative to himself.

But as Kankuro continued supplying himself and Sakura with drinks, it grew harder and harder to deny.

Kakashi was jealous.

The Suna nin hadn't reapplied his face paint after the bath, and it was clear that Sakura found him much more attractive without it. Her entire attitude towards Kankuro had changed from friendly to nearly demure. Kakashi was sorely tempted to laugh at her; Sakura was anything but demure, and he had the scars to prove it.

On the other hand, Sakura was having an amazing time. She had been pleasantly surprised that Kankuro decided not to wear his face paint for the rest of the evening. The white and purple markings had always been a little intimidating, and it was much easier to talk to him without it. It didn't hurt that he was handsome in his own right. He reminded her of Kakashi, in a way. Their features were wildly different, but their jawline was near identical.

She found herself drawn to it as they talked, and he had caught her staring more than once. Kankuro would wink at her each time before continuing the conversation as if nothing had happened. Sakura would laugh nervously and blush in response, hoping he wasn't getting the wrong idea.

Ah, what the hell was she talking about. _She_ was getting the wrong idea about both Kankuro AND Kakashi. At least she might be able to do something about it with one of them – the other was now completely off limits.

_Unless he changes his mind._

She frowned at the thought. She needed to stop doing that to herself. She'd held onto her hopes and dreams about Sasuke for precisely that same idea; for the 'maybe', and the 'what if.'

And what had that even done for her so far?

She supposed the benefit to her heartache was that it had driven her to become the best kunoichi she possibly could be.

But everything else about loving and holding out hope for Sasuke had only brought her pain.

It was time to stop waiting on others. She was going to take charge of her own happiness. And if that meant indulging herself in willing company once in a while, then she damn well would.

The silver-haired jounin took another lightning fast sip of his drink and glared at his cup when he realized it was now empty.

"Finished finally?" Sakura asked him, and Kakashi raised his good eye to hers. He hummed his reply as he set the cup back down on the table. He wasn't quite drunk, but he was tipsy. He'd have to find a way to coax them out of the bar sooner rather than later.

"Good," she continued. "I'll go get you some more," she said as she stood up and walked to the bartender before he had a chance to dissent. Kakashi didn't like the way Kankuro stood immediately and followed after her.

He especially didn't like the way she blushed then giggled as said man slung an arm over her shoulders and leaned in towards her.

Sakura jumped a little as she felt the arm placed around her shoulders, but quickly smiled and blushed as she turned to see it was just Kankuro.

"Come here often?" he whispered into her ear. She returned it with a light laugh as she leaned into him, reveling in his warmth. He had been buying himself fairly strong drinks all evening, and it was clear they had helped him open up to her a bit more. She was sure Kankuro wasn't the type for public affection. Just like Kakashi.

Ugh. There she went again.

"That was terrible," she said, eager to think more about the man in front of her rather than the one back at the table.

Kankuro shrugged, but grinned at her light chiding. She found herself returning it easily. She really hadn't expected to enjoy his company as much as she was.

"It made you laugh though," he said before pulling her in a little closer. "So, I was thinking…"

Sakura cocked an eyebrow at him and felt the corner of her lip turn upwards as he trailed off. She had a feeling she knew where this was going.

Sure enough, Kankuro gave her a sultry smile. She melted a little at how it looked on his strong face.

She really was a sucker for that jawline.

"You want to head back to my room?"

Sakura gulped and studied his face closely as she debated. Isn't this what she had just been thinking she shouldn't deny herself?

She was tugged out of his arms and halfway out the door before she could answer, or even figure out what the heck was going on.

"Wha- KAKASHI!" she screamed out indignantly as she noticed the orange book sticking from his back pocket. He had her slung over his shoulder! "You bring me back there RIGHT. NOW." She pushed at his back to make her point, growing angrier with every second that he ignored her.

Eventually he tightened the arm around her hips until it was almost painful.

"Quiet," he grumbled as he ran, "you're making a scene."

Well, if he didn't want her to make a scene, she'd damn well make a scene.

"Oh HELL NO, Hatake. Absolutely NOT. You don't get to pull me from a good time and then act like _I'm_ the one overreacting here!" She struggled again, this time pounding her fists on his back.

"You let me go you big… big… ASSHOLE!"

He scoffed at her as he stopped in front of their hotel door and unlocked it. Had he really gotten them back so fast? She hadn't even noticed they'd entered the hotel at all.

"Mature," he said as he closed the door behind them. He dropped Sakura on her bed and looked down at her. She glared back up at him. She was fuming.

"You don't get to do that, Kakashi. You have _no right_. You had your chance, and you ran away from me – literally. We agreed to forget it, remember? You said you wanted to forget."

He said nothing and stared down at her. He looked every bit as inscrutable as usual despite her angry words, and it only ticked her off further. She had to bite her tongue to stop from saying anything cruel.

She nearly choked when he finally spoke.

"What if I changed my mind?"


End file.
